Reporters wondered if Mt. Lou was about to erupt. Asked at that time if some players were playing themselves out of jobs, Piniella said, "Look, I've tried my darnedest to play everybody, and give everybody opportunities. It's getting to the point where we're going to have to get really, really set."

The next day, on May 31, 2007, Blagojevich sent a handwritten note, a copy of which has been obtained by the Chicago Tribune. It began, "Dear Lou." Blagojevich included a Jack Higgins editorial cartoon that had run that morning in the Sun-Times, comparing Piniella's management to Blagojevich's.

Blagojevich then made his suggested line-up changes -- specifically recommending Alfonso Soriano bat third, followed by Derrek Lee and then Aramis Ramirez.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Piniella had tinkered with Soriano at No. 3 earlier in May, but returned him to the leadoff spot for all but a couple of games in July.

Two years later, Piniella is still managing the Cubs and Blagojevich was ousted as the manager of the State of Illinois in a wide-ranging corruption scandal.

Earlier this week, Blagojevich pleaded not guilty to 16 criminal counts, including one count that he allegedly tried to pressure Tribune Co. executives into firing members of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board in exchange for state financial help in the sale of Wrigley Field, which Tribune Co. owns along with the Chicago Cubs.

The news that Rod Blagojevich has agreed to appear on NBC's "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!"—if a judge permits him to travel to Costa Rica for filming—made us wonder what other public figures could have used reality programming for career rehab. --Patrick Reardon and Steve Johnson